Summer of '58

About

Summer of '58 is a single player survival simulation game with horror and thriller themes. It was developed by EMIKA_GAMES and was released on July 21, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

"Summer of '58' is a first-person psychological thriller set in an abandoned Soviet camp, where players must uncover the eerie happenings of the past. With a playtime of approximately 90 minutes, the game takes place in the pioneer camp 'Yunost', where players will encounter flashing images that could trigger epileptic seizures."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,032 reviews

story504 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

story
1,034 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
3%
The story of "Summer of '58" is generally described as intriguing and atmospheric, with many players appreciating its dark themes and unexpected twists. However, some reviews note that the narrative can be convoluted or poorly executed, leading to confusion and a lack of depth. Overall, while the game offers a compelling horror experience with effective jump scares, opinions vary on the clarity and engagement of the story itself.
- “The game's immersive storyline will take you back in time to experience the terror that turned out to be much scarier than the stories told around the campfire.”
- “A really interesting story and full of good scares.”
- “The story is very immersive, not too long and not too short.”
- “The story is shallow and cliché.”
- “The story did not draw me, had me constantly walking back and forth to continue the story along and was much too short.”
- “The story itself is a bit hard to piece together, but by the end you mostly understand what happened.”
atmosphere
492 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, enhanced by excellent sound design and visual details that create a sense of dread. Many players appreciate the balance between atmospheric tension and jump scares, although some feel the reliance on predictable jump scares detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game's ability to evoke fear and maintain suspense through its environment and audio elements is a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for horror enthusiasts.
- “The atmosphere is second to none, the sound design will send shivers down your spine.”
- “The atmosphere was beautifully crafted which allowed certain jump scares to not be cheap and to be earned too.”
- “The game absolutely nails the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere takes it to a level that the scares sadly do not meet.”
- “There is much more that can be done in terms of atmosphere; it goes too much for the predictable and in-your-face kind of stuff, like seeing someone at the window at expected times, or something running past the doorway (more than once, becoming silly.)”
- “The worst part is that this game totally has the atmosphere and the creep factor to be scary on its own and it's kind of ruined by all the constant cheap jump scares.”
graphics
272 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
40%
1%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, atmospheric lighting, and detailed models, contributing significantly to the overall immersive experience. Many players noted the game's ability to create a creepy atmosphere through its art style and sound design, although some expressed frustration with limited graphical settings and occasional technical issues. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, enhancing the horror elements and engaging storytelling.
- “Gorgeous graphics round out this A+ title, and for the price, it's an amazing value.”
- “The graphics are stunning and transport you back in time to the 1950s.”
- “Graphics are realistic with detailed models, dirty textures, and very good, atmospheric lighting conditions.”
- “The one downside to this horror game is that the graphic settings did not save.”
- “Issue is the graphics control settings are abysmal; I have a well-built system with a 3070ti and a good processor, I can run far more demanding games on high fps, but this game has some sort of inbuilt motion blur that you can't disable, you can't lower any of the graphics below medium, you can't lower anti-aliasing below ultra.”
- “The game has weaknesses, notably the flimsy graphics, the jump scares (which yes, do eventually get kind of old), and a bit of predictability.”
gameplay
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
68%
12%
The gameplay of "Summer of '58" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its reliance on simple walking simulator mechanics, such as note finding and object gathering, which can lead to aimless wandering and a lack of direction. While some appreciate the smooth controls and atmospheric elements, others criticize the repetitive nature and short playtime, suggesting that the game feels more like a chore than an engaging experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as decent but lacking depth, with many recommending waiting for a sale due to its steep price for limited content.
- “The gameplay is smooth and engaging, with a wide variety of tasks and activities to keep you entertained.”
- “I loved the day and night mechanic, and the subtle changes in the environment over time as you progress are a nice touch.”
- “Scary, great story, fun gameplay and the perfect length.”
- “Terrible gameplay, terrible character movements, terrible storytelling.”
- “Its gameplay structure makes no sense as you wonder aimlessly following sounds or trying to find a random object that will trigger the next event.”
- “Hot garbage, jump scare fest with no real gameplay besides looking around for an item on the ground with no sense of progression.”
music
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the eerie atmosphere and contributing to the overall horror experience, with many reviewers noting its effectiveness in creating tension and delivering jump scares. The soundtrack is described as haunting and beautiful, with specific mentions of its ability to set the mood from the main menu to the gameplay. While some players appreciated the loud jump scare music, others suggested that a more subtle approach could have been more effective.
- “There were great scares, great music, an ominous atmosphere, and incredible jump scares!”
- “A great little horror game with such an amazing soundtrack.”
- “The sound and the music are outstanding.”
- “The game wants to imitate American films from the 80s with the Stranger Things fonts and music.”
- “The scares don't always play out as they should; there were a couple of times where the only reason I knew I had triggered one scare was because I heard the musical sting.”
- “Some more subtle scares with less reliance on loud music/noise would have been much more effective.”
grinding
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
20%
72%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, with players noting that it can take between 60 to 100 hours to achieve completion. Many reviewers describe the gameplay as slow and repetitive, often involving aimless wandering and item collection that detracts from the overall enjoyment and narrative progression. While some acknowledge that the grind is less pronounced if players are not aiming for 100% completion, the general consensus is that the experience can feel like filler, making it a chore rather than a fun challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grindy (60 - 100 hours).”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It seems you just keep wandering around slowly until you pick up something that results in the next thing happening and then something will appear where you had previously slowly lumbered around and so on... very tedious.”
- “None of it feels logical or fun and ends up becoming quite tedious.”
- “Because it means we'll keep getting longer games that are 90% filler in the way of any story or progression because gamers keep saying they want more bang for the buck, which means more boring and tedious grinding in just about everything just to make it longer.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it infinitely replayable due to hidden achievements and easter eggs, others rate it low, citing a lack of substantial content to encourage multiple playthroughs. The average sentiment suggests that after a single run, there is limited incentive to revisit the game.
- “ infinitely replayable”
- “Replayability - 6/10”
- “Replay value”
- “I wandered quite a bit and still only hit 80 minutes with no real replay value.”
- “There is very little replayability though aside from if you have missed achievements or missed the few hidden easter eggs/spooks.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
10%
60%
The stability of the game is generally well-received, with many players reporting a bug-free experience and smooth mechanics. However, some users noted occasional freezes, stutters, and resolution issues, particularly on lower-end PCs. Overall, the game appears to run reliably for most, with only minor stability concerns mentioned.
- “Overall, I can say that the mechanics of this game work well and it is pretty much bug-free.”
- “This game is bug-free.”
- “The mechanics of this game work well and it is pretty much bug-free.”
- “Very buggy, like Cyberpunk or Saints Row reboot.”
- “I should also point out, I had a bit of a buggy experience with the resolution; it doesn't support 3840 x 1600, so whenever a loading text would appear, it was slightly cut off.”
- “The requirements were a little too high for my potato PC, but after messing around with the settings, I still managed to run it mostly smoothly with only a few freezes and stutters here or there.”
emotional
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
10%
Players report that the game evokes a profound emotional response, combining intense fear with a compelling narrative that includes dark themes and harrowing character experiences. The atmosphere, enhanced by immersive sound design, creates a sense of unease and urgency, leading to moments of genuine emotional impact, including tears and heartfelt connections to the story. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to deliver both thrilling scares and a poignant storyline that resonates with players.
- “There’s a dark conspiracy here and you’ll get to read some harrowing notes from folks trying to do the right thing amidst all the abuse going on here, which adds needed emotional stakes to the proceedings.”
- “This game made me cry, and doesn't even give you a moment to catch your breath between horrifying moments.”
- “Not only does this game provide the horror aspect that you're surely searching for, but it also doesn't hold back with an ending that felt very satisfying and heartfelt.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players frequently laughing out loud and enjoying comedic moments that often overshadow the intended scares. Many found the combination of funny quotes, strange translations, and low-quality visuals added to the comedic experience, making it a fun game to play with friends. Overall, the humor provides a lighthearted counterbalance to the horror elements, enhancing the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “You guys had me crying and laughing at the same time.”
- “My experience was more comedic than it was scary due to the strange English translation and my friend frequently using a soundboard to spout funny quotes whenever something happened, but a good horror game regardless.”
- “I played the first 45 minutes streaming it to a few friends and we had fun getting startled and laughing it off.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game's optimization received mixed reviews; while some players praised it for being well-optimized with great visuals and performance, others reported significant issues, particularly with high GPU usage on powerful hardware like the RTX 3080. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, it suffers from performance problems that detract from the experience.
- “Great game, short, straight to the point, nice jump scares and well optimized.”
- “Tons of jump scares, has a good story, great visuals, better optimization.”
- “Great game, short, straight to the point, nice jump scares and well optimized.”
- “The last part is most important; more of these games made with this engine are usually poorly optimized right out of the gate, shooting my RTX 3080 right up to 90-99% usage, where it should never be with games like these.”
- “Great game but bad optimization.”
- “A simple trapped-in-a-building type of game with unstylish presentation, cheesy jump scares with loud noises every few seconds, simplistic or nonsensical problem solving, and a simple story that can be read on scattered notes, add that to some performance issues.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
While the game features impressive visuals and effective character designs, reviewers feel that it lacks sufficient character development and backstory, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The character designs are pretty good! They're simple but effective.”
- “The game would benefit from more character development and backstory.”
- “It would just benefit from more character development and backstory.”